Hitchcock Cinematography

simultaneously zooming in and tracking backward
 the foreground remains stable while the background expands
backwards
 gives us a sense of distortion and ‘vertigo’
 it is a visual aid of Scottie’s mind and feeling
 Importantly, given
the film’s theme,
it is a subjective shot
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This occurs seven times throughout the film and
is also a structuring motif. It is the visual
approximation of the mind and body of Scotty
and shows a perception problem.
It represents ambiguous feelings of attraction
and repulsion, which are our feelings towards the
characters.
It is the most striking of the many repeated shots
in the film. Repetition is an essential component
of the film’s structure.
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Creates a sense of depth/height
Gives the audience a sense of the vertigo that Scottie is
suffering from, forcing us into his perspective
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Following the motif of spirals and the circular plot
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It suggests the accomplishment of full circle when Scottie has succeeded in
reconstructing Judy as Madeleine - though it is illusory
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Scottie is no longer an observer, but is now part of this a spiralling illusion
that he can turn Judy into Madeline
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The repetition of the shot
suggests the link between
Madeleine and Judy, as well
as indicating how Scottie is
haunted by the first image
he had of her.
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Scottie’s 1st reaction to Madeleine is
noticeably a guilty turning of his head,
suggesting how transgressive the act of
looking is.
The circularity of
the narrative and
sense of the past
haunting the
present is
emphasised
through deliberate
repetitions of key
shots
Note the femininity of the mise-enscene in Midge’s apartment is
juxtaposed with the masculinity of
Elster’s office.
The positioning of both characters is
at work in front of a large window.
The repetition and contrasts
are particularly used to
create links between
Madeleine and Judy.
This makes us subtly share
the obsession Scottie feels
Composition both links
and differentiates the
character’ two
personalities
Note the polka
dots that both
link and
separate the
two
Vertigo and The Wrong Man
Vertigo and many other Hitchcock kiss scenes
Repeated
composition
across
different
Hitchcock
films
Vertigo and Psycho
Vertigo, The Lodger
and Blackmail
Rear Window
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The camera is often either
subjective (a character’s
point of view) or active (acts
like a character through its
movement, though its
perspective is not assigned
to a character) across
Hitchcock’s work
The camera should take on human qualities
and roam around playfully looking for
something suspicious in a room.
Vertigo
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The POVs add another layer of reverse shot
so that the audience knows specifically to
what Scotty is reacting. We are led by
Hitchcock to see absolutely through Scotty's
eyes.
The audience often sees him look, sees what
he’s looking at, sees him squint, and then
sees a close up on what he’s focusing.
Thus, putting the audience in Scotty’s
position and furthermore allowing us to
understand his feelings for Madeline and his
sense of confusion in the latter half of the
film.
Point of view
Look out for the film’s emphasis
on shot-reverse shot.
We are given mostly Scottie’s perspective but in
the final sequence of the film, the POV is
shared with Judy.
This perspective, although subjective, is ‘the
truth’
Midge also has brief scenes taken from her
perspective – like Judy, this is also more of a
‘true perspective’.
Shifting the perspective, first to Midge then later Judy alters the
masculine/feminine dynamic of the film.
What both women perceive is opposed to Scottie’s delusion
Who are we? Do we
have a role other than
the audience?
How does Hitchcock manipulate not only what
we see, but how we see it?
A characteristic of Hitchcock films is the
camera that searches, as if itself an active
voyeur
When Scottie first sees Madeleine, we are not
given a straightforward POV shot
Psycho
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We can see the
danger, however,
the same cannot be
said for some of
those in the scene.
This is a technique
that builds
suspense
Vertigo
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Not only does
Hitchcock make us
question the morality
of the onscreen
characters through the
way he uses the
camera…
…,he also makes us
question the morality
of our ‘role’ as
observers.
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Not a straight forward shot reverse shot
First we have a forward-tracking movement to imply
Madeleine's allure for Scottie
Then a backward-tracking movement to register the
manner in which Scottie is bonded to his object of desire
together, they create a sense of the character being drawn
towards the woman as object
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Into the flower-shop
As she enters the church
As she leaves the church for the graveyard
She vanishes altogether at the McKittrick Hotel
Scottie’s flat
Briefly in the forest
At the tower (both times)
She is forever out of reach, emphasising the idea of
Scottie's underlying but endless chase for Madeline and the
illusion of a ‘ghostly’ presence
In Midge's apartment:
"What did you mean,
there's no losing it . . . the
acrophobia? . . . I think I
can lick it.“
In Gavin Elster's office: "I didn't
mean to be that rough. . . ." [Elster:]
Do you think I made it up? [Scottie:]
"No. . . ."
In Judy's hotel room: Will you have
dinner with me? . . . Will you, for me?
Hitchcock controlled the
intensity of the emotion by
placing the camera a
certain distance from the
eyes. a close up will fill the
screen with emotion, and
pulling back will dissipate
the emotion on screen.
A sudden cut from wide to
close-up will give the
audience a sudden
surprise.
Sometimes a strange angle
above an actor will
heighten the dramatic
meaning – suggesting the
vertigo of the title or
things being out of
balance
Shift in Medium
The animated dream sequence takes us completely out of
perceived ‘reality’ to glimpses of a subconscious ‘truth’